If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

@History_Buff: the main problem with EF intervention is that it would then make the game WAY too easy. The AI is not very good at fighting two front wars, and Russia would almost inevitably lose in that situation. Therefore, I am keeping the EF out of any intervention. They WILL NOT attack anyone.

Besides, I have already played ahead very far into the game, so I can't have them intervene now if I even wanted them too.

@Barvinok: the Russians are powerful, but they are not invincible. The only peace there will be with Russia is one dictated to the Russians at the barrels of Japanese guns.

@Everyone else: thanks for the comments!

As before, when the Notoro and the Chiyoda were lost to the Americans, Japanese bombers are ordered to pound Guam naval base to avenge the loss of the Shokaku, one of Japan's most veteran fleet aircraft carriers. The American's seem to have not learned their lesson, since they continue to try and shelter their vessels in Guam. Japan punishes this recklessness by the Americans, by blowing up another two American carriers in the port.

The American navy then gets some vengeance on Japan very soon after. Japanese nuclear battlecruisers and their escorts attempt to flee Borneo for the Japanese home islands. However, they are ambushed by an American carrier strike group which was lying in wait for them. American carrier aircraft ambush the fleet, pounding Japanese vessels with bombs and missiles. After the dust settles, the Japanese navy has lost two nuclear battlecruisers, the Otowa and the Soya, to American attacks. In exchange the Japanese only manage to sink a few American frigates. The rest of the fleet, including the severely damaged Mogami, flee once again for shelter along Borneo's coast.

In Southern China, the fighting is intensifying. Reinforced by many thousands of Russian troops, the Chinese are launching very heavy counterattacks on Japanese positions. Despite the pressure, Japanese forces hold their ground, inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy before they withdraw from combat.

Along the Northern Limit Line, the enemy is also putting up more pressure. The Russians have finally launched a full scale invasion of Manchukuo, breaking through Korean-Manchukuo defenses and marching into northeastern Manchuria.

Enemy forces also take control of far eastern Mongolia, and begin to attack other pro-Japanese positions. Korean forces are fighting hard to keep the entire line from collapsing, launching punishing counterattacks on Russian forces wherever possible. Manchukuo's air force is also ordered into the fray, launching powerful ground attacks on Russian and other SCO forces.

More heavy fighting in China. Yan'an had been retaken by a strong Japanese counterattack, but lacking enough forces to hold their positions, Japanese troops are simply pushed back out again.

Russian troops attack Outer Mongolia, pushing Japanese forces deeper into Manchukuo territory. If something is not done soon, Manchukuo could be in very real danger.

Yet more heavy fighting in Southern China around the Ganzhou area. This time, the enemy attacks with more troops than they did before. Despite the odds, Japanese forces once again hold their ground, but it is getting tougher to do so.

In Manchuria, Manchukuo's air forces are starting to show their true power. Having been trained by some of Japan's best air commanders, and being equipped with the latest Japanese aircraft models (which are admittedly mostly copies of American designs, albeit with domestic Japanese parts and electronics), Manchukuo's air force is pounding Russian forces around the clock as they try to enter Manchurian territory. Combined with powerful Korean Army counterattacks, pro-Japanese forces are managing to hold their ground and turn back the invaders.

At sea, Japan gets some good news. Japanese air attacks on Guam have forced a fleet of American ships to attempt to flee the area for the Eastern pacific. They are given the traditional Japanese greeting: massive carrier air attacks. Having lost their attached aircraft carriers, these American ships have no cover from hordes of Japanese fighter-bombers.

The Americans pay dearly for this attempt. Japanese aircraft pound at the Americans, destroying 4 enemy cruisers and 2 missile submarines. It is doubtful that the Americans can continue to take these kinds of losses for very long.

In Thailand, a long pause in Russian activity results in RTA forces launching a massive offensive against SCO units along the border. The Thai Army, although vastly outnumbering the enemy, makes slow progress, especially since the enemy forces consist entirely of advanced armoured divisions/brigades. With heavy air support, these enemy units are broken up and forced to withdraw westwards, but Thai forces take heavy casualties to achieve this.

Finally, more enemy moves in Indonesia. While the Americans are attempting to take control of Borneo, the British suddenly arrive to attempt to take control of Sumatra. Japan begins making preparations to send some troops, most likely from Singapore, to push the British back, while aircraft prepare to give the British army a warm welcome to the Pacific theatre.

Russia needs to be couped. It is the only possibility to save Manchuria. The naval war is equally as bitter, but at least Americans are bleeding ships fast. I hope Japan has some good reserves to bolster at least one of the critical fronts.

Requesting help from an experienced HOI 3 player in improving my skills, so I may be able to do an AAR of my own, one day.

Such a good fight Kaiser. Unfortunately SSGNs and CGNs are poorly modeled in MDS. Missiles from those subs should have them attacking from at least the same range as as CV's. Not to mention the fact that bomber losses should be much heavier given American AA missiles on all American ships. That is weakness of the entire HOI system though. A CV groups "ring of steel" is just not well modeled.

"If you love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home from us in peace. We seek not your counsel, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you; may your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen."

@Asalto: Indeed. I know I have not been showing it very much, but massive use of airpower has been a key factor to being able to hold places like central China, Manchuria, and Southeast Asia. Japanese, Thai, Korean, and Manchukuo aircraft have been pummeling the enemy in many fronts, causing huge losses on their forces and allowing my ground troops to make considerable gains.

@KcindX, CylonAndrew: Ship counts will come later, but I think by now I have more carriers than the US Navy, and thats the key thing in the pacific war.

@pat97ryk: Its a Russian puppet state and a member of the SCO.

@son of liberty: I actually do lose a heavy number of bombers when I launch sustained air raids on enemy naval bases full of ships, as well as to enemy ground forces if they are very well dug in. As for SSGN's, I can't really tell what they are supposed to be useful for. They are classified as capital ships for some reason, and I think they use the files for heavy cruisers as their base. They don't seem to be very useful when they are grouped together with carriers like the Americans are doing either.

@everyone else: thanks for the comments!

The East Indian air force gives the British some bombing raids to welcome them to the Pacific War. The Indian's encounter very well armed and dug in British troops, but it does not deter the Indians from raining bombs and missiles down on their heads.

Along the northern front of the ground war in Asia, Japanese and Korean forces are working to destroy invading enemy forces moving in from Mongolia. The enemy takes huge casualties to Japanese/Korean forces, something that is greatly leveling the odds in Japan's favour.

Similar battles are taking place in the restive Yan'an region. Through a combination of massive airstrikes and ferocious counterattacks, Japanese and Allied forces are bleeding the enemy into exhaustion. The battlefields are being littered with the hulks of destroyed tanks, armoured vehicles, and the bodies of dead SCO soldiers.

At sea, the Americans once again challenge the blockade of Guam navalbase, hurling themselves at Japanese warships in one of the largest carrier battles of the war. Japan responds in kind, pounding the American ships with no mercy.

In this battle, Japan gains a decisive victory, sweet payback for the Japanese navy after the Americans had sunk some of Japan's precious capital ships. 4 American cruisers, and an aircraft carrier, the USS Constellation, are sent to the bottom, joining many other US and coalition vessels whose wrecks now litter the ocean floor.

The Americans strike back by launching more attacks on Borneo. At this point, the American landings there are becoming extremely difficult to stop. Every time Japanese troops and aircraft destroy an American landing force and retake control of the island, yet more Americans come. They are even now landing in different locations, launching an invasion of Northern Borneo as well as another landing in the south. Also note the Battle of Changde, which is very typical of many battles of the Chinese front in this war. (large battles initiated by Japanese/allied forces which inflict huge casualties on the enemy for little friendly losses)

In Southeast Asia, the combination of massive RTAF airstrikes and Thai/Singapore/Vietnamese reinforcements have stabilized the Southeast Asian front in this sector. Feeling invigorated by recent successes, a joint RTA/ARVN/SA force lay's siege to Hanoi, capital of Northern Vietnam. The city is very well defended by Sino-Russian-PAVN troops, but they are vastly outnumbered by the Allied forces.

More heavy fighting in outer Mongolia. Japanese troops withdraw from combat to avoid taking heavy losses to attacking SCO troops. Also note the presence of European SCO forces along the front in Asia, such as a unit from the Danubian Federation fighting all the way in Asia.

August 8th, 2015. After heavy fighting, ARVN troops raise the flag of South Vietnam high over the skyscrapers of Hanoi, joining the flags of Singapore and Thailand to symbolize the fall of the city to Japanese allied forces. North Vietnam's government is captured, after failing to escape for exile in either Russia or China. The north vietnamese politburo then surrenders to the Republic of Vietnam, resulting in the reunification of the Vietnamese people for the second time within 40 years. North Vietnam has surrendered, the first SCO member to surrender to a member of Japan's alliance in this war. The act is a great morale booster, as it may symbolize a growing shift of momentum in this war favouring Japan and her allies. (also note that the SCO had launching a large invasion of western Thailand, but it was driven back after heavy fighting and huge airstrikes)

The SCO still has a lot of fight in it left however, as shown by a massive Sino-Russian offensive on Ganzhou, which forces Japanese troops to withdraw to the east. Japanese forces positioned further south are also compelled to withdraw eastwards as well, to shorted the frontlines and prevent the formation of any salient which could be hard to defend.

Back in Japan, another dozen Marine infantry brigades finish training and are ready for service.

Their most likely destination is India, where Japanese and allied forces are holding a shaky perimeter around the city of Calcutta. Sheer attrition has taken a heavy poll on Japan's allies, whose, units are largely combat ineffective. Their forces, along with those of the Japanese army, are holding their ground against the SCO forces in the north and east, as well as Indian and Coalition forces in the West. Until reinforcements arrive however, Japan and its allies will not be able to go on the offensive again to retake lost ground.

Back in China, Japanese forces go back on the offensive to retake lost ground in Southern China. Ganzhou, which the Chinese and Russians have spent lots of weapons and soldiers to take, is retaken by a massive Japanese attack. SCO forces fight almost to the death to hold it, but they are eventually overrun or destroyed by Japanese forces.

Along the northern line, Korean units are holding their ground in the face of heavy Russian attacks. It seems that the Russian Army may be finally running out of steam here, allowing the Korean army to hold territory that has been bitterly contested in constant battles over the last few months.

Finally, some bad news. After yet more American landings on Borneo, and the failure of Japan's airforces to stop all of the American attacks, Japanese commanders decide it is time to cut their losses and withdraw. Vastly outnumbered, and also losing increasing numbers of aircraft to American anti-aircraft weapons, Japanese forces withdraw from Borneo. Japanese aircraft give the Americans some parting gifts in the form of some bombing attacks, before all Japanese forces leave the island, abandoning it to the mercy of the Americans.

@Reddenbawker: Do not pay any attention to that. For some reason beyond all comprehension, instead of using a new tag to use for Bangladesh (the country whose files i used to create East India) they used those of vanilla HOI2's California. Its makes absolutely no sense, and is just one example of such strange uses of tags. Also note that there are units labelled Sarawakian Corps, those are Sri Lankan units, but Sri Lanka's country tag is using HOI2's Sarawak revolter as a base.

Good news from the seas and many other theatres of war, only India seems pretty critical. I'm not sure if your alliance will manage to hold there, maybe it would be really better to have them evacuated, so they could be put to better use elsewhere?